Fully fit Spurs ready to begin gruelling run February 18, 2015 TOTTENHAM manager Mauricio Pochettino insists he is relishing a gruelling fixture pile-up that starts with tonight’s Europa League visit from Italian side Fiorentina. The first leg of the last 32 tie is one of six matches Spurs face in the space of just 17 days. That sequence includes the Capital One Cup with Chelsea, as [...]
Sky hopes that huge Premier League TV football deal will score with fans – Brand Index February 17, 2015 Sky Sports was clearly in no mood to relinquish to BT Sport the right to broadcast Premier League matches between 2016-19, despite having to shell out the bulk of the £5bn needed to secure those rights. There has been some dissent, with some ex-players calling the amount of money involved obscene. Commentators have asserted that [...]
Champions League: Blues survive PSG fightback to claim draw February 17, 2015 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 1 CHELSEA 1 CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho claimed he fielded five injured players as his side survived a potent Paris Saint-Germain resurgence in their Champions League last-16 first leg tie at Parc des Princes last night. Full-back Branislav Ivanovic struck with a potentially pivotal away goal and his first European strike since the [...]
Former City banker Warburton sacrificed in Brentford overhaul February 17, 2015 BRENTFORD have confirmed plans to part company with their City banker-turned-football manager Mark Warburton at the end of the season despite his success with the Championship club. The move follows more than a week of intense speculation about the former AIG, Bank of America and RBS currency trader’s position, prompted by reports he was set [...]
Mourinho set to unleash his lethal weapon February 16, 2015 CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho is ready to plunge star striker Diego Costa straight back into frontline action against Paris Saint-Germain tonight and has blasted counterpart Laurent Blanc for claiming the Blues hold a physical advantage. Costa has missed Chelsea’s last three Premier League matches after being handed a retrospective suspension for stamping on Liverpool’s Emre [...]
Aston Villa post was no-brainer, says Sherwood February 16, 2015 ASTON Villa manager Tim Sherwood has described his decision to take charge at the struggling club as a “no-brainer” and insists six wins from their remaining 13 games should be enough to avoid relegation. Sherwood officially started work yesterday, having accepted the job on Saturday and watched his new team reach the FA Cup last [...]
Pietersen’s stock falls further in IPL auction February 16, 2015 FURTHER evidence of former England captain Kevin Pietersen’s fall from grace emerged yesterday when he was sold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) players’ auction for a cut-price £205,000. The sum paid by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Pietsersen was nearly £700,000 less than the maverick batsman fetched 12 months ago when he joined Delhi Daredevils and [...]
Draw throws up heavyweight tie as old foes bid for semi-final spot February 16, 2015 DEFENDING champions Arsenal face a trip to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals after the draw pitted the two highest-placed teams against each other last night. United have beaten the Gunners once already this season, a 2-1 triumph at Emirates Stadium in November, and have not lost to the north Londoners in seven meetings [...]
Arsenal sponsorship contributes to sales growth at Puma February 16, 2015 Puma's Arsenal sponsorship contributed to increased sales in the financial year 2014, the sporting apparel company revealed in an otherwise disappointing earnings update for the apparel maker. The sponsorship deal, which has seen the sportswear company manufacture the Premier League club's kit for the first time this season, is thought to be worth £30m a [...]
FA Cup: Wenger hails two-goal star man Giroud February 15, 2015 AT EMIRATES STADIUM ARSENAL 2 MIDDLESBROUGH 0 ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger extolled the progression of Olivier Giroud after the France striker fired the FA Cup holders into the quarter-finals at the expense of Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough yesterday. Giroud’s first-half double took his tally for the season to 10 and proved the difference for the dominant [...]